Its not that I'm 100% sure that Murray should go but that I'm not 100% sure he shouldn't...

so instead of just trashing him, I'd rather pitch a thought your way stating that I think the organization should continue to grow from within even the the avenue of coaching. Don't we all know that Chopper would get loads of respect in addition to having a coaching personality and an air of confidence that would seem recommendable to a team looking to become an elite franchise.

No No No. Blues will suck. Macinnis was a great player but great players don't necessarily make great coaches. Look at Gretsky - He certainly isn't going to be in the hall of fame for his coaching skills.

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xbleed83bluex wrote:No No No. Blues will suck. McGinnis was a great player but great players don't necessarily make great coaches. Look at Gretsky - He certainly isn't going to be in the hall of fame for his coaching skills.

xbleed83bluex wrote:No No No. Blues will suck. Macinnis was a great player but great players don't necessarily make great coaches. Look at Gretsky - He certainly isn't going to be in the hall of fame for his coaching skills.

I think Al would do really well. Gretzky doesn't even seem to have a coaches persona...whereas Chopper does.

It was always strange seeing Wayne behind the bench...Al seems natural to me.

Just like everyone says Murray can't take us to the next level, I don't think macinnis is the guy to take us there, I think he will be a great assistant coach or staying what he is now but I don't think he is the coach to take us all the way, but I could be wrong.

I was going to suggest Chopper, but I was anticipating a less than enthusiastic response.

Now that it's been put out there, I agree 110%.

There's no hard and fast rule that your next head coach has to have head coaching experience. In fact, a fresh face to the bench may be just what the doctor ordered. Particularly with this team obviously focused on a young, dynamic defense. When the blueliners can get their job done the Al Mac way, the offense will naturally be a benefactor of that. If he were in charge of a team that has guys like Johnson, Pietrangelo, Cole and Rundblad down the line, all of whom are supposed to be offensive contributors as much as defensively, we'd see a greatly improved product overall. Imagine TWO shut down pairings on the defense that could match up fresh legs against any other teams top offensive line at any point in a game. Theoretically, this could be one better than Mac/Pronger/Jackman.

Ideally, there would also be a good offensive mind as his assistant coach, fully capable of educating the kids on how to produce more consistently. Former Blues who come to mind include Geoff Courtnall and Pierre Turgeon. Courtnall is currently coaching and Turgeon is/was apparently coaching his daughters team, so he must have some knowledge of working with kids--albeit much younger kids than the ones on the Blues roster.

Ask yourself this: Would your rather MacInnis have 3-4 years (tops) as the coach, or have MacInnis behind the scenes for years and years advising and nudging the organization? Said another way, do want MacInnis' influence in this organization highly focused, but burned up all at once, or do you want it spread out over time in subtler ways?

They should just get Bernie to be coach. He spends enough time down there anyway.

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philco_3 wrote:They should just get Bernie to be coach. He spends enough time down there anyway.

You should be banned for this comment.

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It's crazy to just dismiss firing Skeletor and crediting him and him alone with getting us into the playoffs last year. If he gets that much credit, he also gets the blame for putting us in the hole we found ourselves in about Jan. 1 of this year. I know it's early, but we're headed to the same hole. Is Andy gonna pull another rabbit out of his backwards hat?

Hiring Al is kind of silly and sentimental more than anything. Surely you can find a coach somewhere who will let the capable kids play and nudge the veterans in a better direction.

This is a good question but I think the best coaches are those who WERENT the hockey deities for their specific team. Doesn't it seem like the players that had to out hustle, think, grind out "whatever" to make it are the best coaches. If anyone epitomizes that it's Chaser, at least locally. Personally, I wanted to see Torts behind the Blues bench after he was out in TB.

Ask yourself this: Would your rather MacInnis have 3-4 years (tops) as the coach, or have MacInnis behind the scenes for years and years advising and nudging the organization? Said another way, do want MacInnis' influence in this organization highly focused, but burned up all at once, or do you want it spread out over time in subtler ways?

That's why I would hesitate. I would hate to see fans turn on him because he has a tough time getting it done behind the bench for 3-4 years when he put in a solid decade for us on the ice. Go out and hire someone else if we're switching coaches.